


red poppy skies

by tooattachedtofiction



Series: Arachnid [3]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel
Genre: Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Matt Murdock attempts to give advice, Team Red, They all need a hug, Wade Wilson is a Good Bro, arachnidverse, implied Matt/Foggy, mentions of peter parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooattachedtofiction/pseuds/tooattachedtofiction
Summary: “I’m fine.” Her heartbeat spiked slightly. He glanced in the direction of her voice.“You can’t lie to me.” He reminded her.“Watch me, Red.”“Names,” Matt tsked from above her.“Bite me,” She threatened.“You can talk to Foggy instead of me, if you want.” Matt said, sitting down in the middle of the ring, a few feet away from Andie. “He’ll be nicer about it.”(Andie and her step-father struggle to cope when her mother's death anniversary comes around.)
Relationships: Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt Murdock & OFC, Matt Murdock & Wade Wilson, Wade Wilson & OFC
Series: Arachnid [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153205
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	red poppy skies

**Author's Note:**

> wow, two updates to the series in one week! crazy. I wanted to establish more of a relationship with Andie and her father so have some angsty fluff. Shoutout to my beta, @marvel-imagines-yes-please on Tumblr, for helping me get this part out so fast. make sure to follow them and me on there and don't forget to kudos, comment, and bookmark!

Andie hated October. 

Growing up, it had always been her favorite month because it marked the beginning of New York’s short fall. October meant colorful leaves and Halloween and over-priced, sugary lattes. Before last year, she’d go through the month with a spring in her step. 

Now, October marked the date of her mother’s abandonment and subsequent death.

Andie hadn’t talked much when her mom had died. She normally told everyone everything, but fell silent in the days following the news. Andie wasn’t the type to cry in the counselor’s office for a month. She simply shut down and became a ghost of herself. Her friends and teachers treated her gently, as if they were afraid that the bottle would drop at any moment. 

She watched her mother leave, over and over, never wondering if things could have been different. All she could feel was helpless and numb over the fact that her mother, Victoria Aquino, was gone.

Andie had started following Peter as soon as it was warm enough to be outside at night again. Most afternoons and evenings were spent home alone if she didn’t. The apartment felt suffocating. If she sat in a certain place, the scene would rewind and she’d be back, watching her mom go. 

On the nights that Will, her stepfather, was home, it was even worse. He had enough strength to look her in the eyes when he asked about her day, but his own eyes seemed hollow. Andie knew he replayed his own scenes in his head. After all, he’d been the one to get the phone call. 

Neither of them talked about any part of it. Sometimes, Andie could hear Will cry through the thin walls of the apartment. Other times, he’d talk to her mom and ramble about his day. Andie stayed silent. 

Therapy had been suggested in the beginning, but no one really pushed Andie to go. She went to two sessions before she stopped. What was there to say that hadn’t already been said? It felt like her mouth was glued shut anytime she was asked to talk about it. 

She’d told Peter immediately after the identity reveal. Peter had shut his mouth and listened. There was no offer of advice or comfort. Andie figured that her tone had seemed nonchalant enough to warrant that response. Still, she wished he’d said something. 

October was inching closer and closer. Then it’d be one year since Veronica Aquino ceased to exist, and Andie would be forced to go through it alone all over again. 

  
  
  


William Jackson remembered his first meeting with Andie Aquino as if it had happened only hours before. He’d met a lot of kids in his time as a mixed martial arts teacher. That didn’t mean that they stayed too long. Sometimes, they’d only last until their third belt. It was okay. Kids changed their hobbies all the time. He tried not to keep his hopes up too high.

Andie and her mother had been talking in the office with Darren Kikuchi, Will’s old teacher, and current boss. Will had just walked in, still in baggy gym shorts and a tank top. He wore a snapback with the front facing behind him, and his posture was absolutely abysmal. They’d started to walk out when Mr. Kikuchi called Will’s name. 

“This is Sensei Jackson. Andie won’t have him as a teacher for a few years, but he runs the older classes.” Will put on an easy smile and shook Andie’s mother’s hand. 

“It’s a pleasure,” Will said, the same way he’d done hundreds of times before. He knelt down to Andie’s height. “Nice to meet you both.” 

Andie had looked up at him with wide eyes and an open mouth before darting behind her mother’s legs. Her mother only laughed and tried to coax the little girl to come out. 

“She’s shy,” Her mother explained. “I’m Veronica, Andie’s mom. I guess we should let you go.” Veronica held Andie’s hand in hers. “It was nice meeting you both.” 

For the next two years or so, Will caught glimpses of Veronica at the beginnings and ends of classes. Neither of them ever had time to talk for longer than five minutes. Once Andie moved up to the older class, they ran into each other more and more. Andie had shown a lot of potential, and he offered to let her into the Black Belt Club program, which meant more classes. Soon enough, Will and Veronica were seeing each other nearly every day. 

Andie was seven when Will asked Veronica to dinner, and eight when they got married. He moved in, and that was that. 

In the six years that Will was married to Veronica, it was never clear what her job was. He didn’t think to ask about it too much, because he knew it was a government project. That kind of thing was brutally confidential. But she was present at home, with him, with Andie. She made sure that they ate dinner together and spent the weekends doing something outside of the house. To Will, that was all that had mattered. 

One night, she’d rushed inside the apartment and started grabbing her things. Will had been at work. Andie had been at home doing homework. 

Andie said that Veronica had grabbed a large bag and stuffed it with clothes. She hid all of their family pictures. She threw out her perfume and all of her makeup and told Andie to stay in her room until Will got home. 

Andie had refused to follow her directions. Veronica had broken down, crying and hugging her daughter. “I love you so much, Andie. I’m so sorry.” She carried on, packing and staying silent when Andie started to ask questions.

And then Veronica was gone. 

When Will had come home, everything was neat, as if no one was living there. Veronica had left a letter, ordering him to dispose of it after he’d read everything. Someone was coming for her, and if anyone came to their door asking of her whereabouts, he had to say he didn’t know the name. Will had sat on the bed and waited for her to come back until the sun rose the next day. He called the police and requested a week off from work. 

Will got a call from the hospital two weeks later, saying Veronica had been in a car crash and had died almost immediately after impact. He asked for a month off of work as people’s apologies threatened to drown out the rest of the world. 

That had been last October. He’d started teaching more. Andie had turned fourteen and started high school this past September. Neither of them wanted to talk about Veronica. The one-year anniversary was coming up, and neither had visited her grave since the funeral. 

Andie seemed to stay in her room a lot. Will didn’t know if he should knock and make sure she was okay. He tended to stay at the dojo until at least midnight. 

He knew she kept secrets from him. Every teenager kept secrets from their parents. He hadn’t even been married to Veronica for that long before the accident, and Andie didn’t come to the dojo a lot anymore. They hadn’t spent any leisure time together in months, if Will was remembering correctly. 

She was never home anymore, and when she was, she was asleep. Dinner was often sat out on the stove, waiting for him when he got back to the apartment. 

Will missed talking to his daughter. 

On the few days he had managed to catch her, she seemed to be in a better mood. There was still a layer of sadness underneath, but she was healing in her own way.

Even after all of those years of marriage, he knew Andie was hesitant to treat him like her father. She called him “Dad” but treated him as if he was a teacher instead of her step-father. When was the last time they’d hugged?

He needed to fix things, but how? Andie was unpredictable at best. Veronica had always been so good with her… 

But Veronica was gone. 

And there was nothing that Will could do about that. 

  
  
  


Matt noticed there was something wrong with Andie almost immediately. 

Contrary to his original belief, she was good at hiding the parts of herself that she didn’t want to show. Certainly better than Matt was at that age. Aside from the anxiety, it could be hard to tell what she was feeling if one didn’t have super senses. 

That hurdle aside, Matt was immediately greeted with the question of how he could get her to talk about what was bothering her. He wasn’t an emotional type of guy. He didn’t “do feelings”, as he’d once stated to Foggy. He’d barely known how to comfort Karen when she was struggling to cope after her stint in prison. 

So Matt decided to go down the matter-of-fact route. 

“You’re not in the right mind to be training.” He said as Andie hit the mats of Fogwell’s Gym for the fourth time that night. Neither of them were wearing their suits, instead opting for workout gear. She scowled at him. 

“I’m fine.” Her heartbeat spiked slightly. He glanced in the direction of her voice. 

“You can’t lie to me.” He reminded her.

“Watch me, Red.” 

“Names,” Matt tsked from above her. 

“Bite me,” She threatened. 

“You can talk to Foggy instead of me, if you want.” Matt said, sitting down in the middle of the ring, a few feet away from Andie. “He’ll be nicer about it.” 

Andie sighed. She was tired of having this conversation. She knew the people who pressed were the ones that cared the most, but talking about it wouldn’t make her mom come back to life. Her dad wouldn’t start coming home earlier. Her powers wouldn’t be gone. 

“I’m tired.” She said. 

“Try again.” Matt replied almost immediately. Clearly, he had no time for bullshit this evening. 

“It’s school-” 

“Andie, I can listen to your heartbeat when you lie.” 

“What do you want me to say?” She snapped. Matt raised his eyebrows in shock, leaning back slightly. In the few months he’d known the 14-year-old, she’d never taken that tone with him. Guilt immediately flooded through her. 

“Sorry.” Andie said quietly. 

“Have you talked about what’s bothering you with anyone else?” 

“No.” Andie looked down at her hands and started to pick at the wraps. “Why would I?” 

“I’ve been told it’s healthy to talk about things I’m stressed about.” 

“I’d rather go on patrol.” 

“Then we’ll end tonight’s training early,” Matt said, standing up. “Maybe you can get in a few more hours of sleep and we can get back on the horse tomorrow.” He ducked out of the ring and started to unwrap his hands. 

“My mom’s death anniversary is in a few days.” Andie broke the silence, exhaling. “One year.” Matt stilled, only moving his head to let her know he was listening.

“Only one?” 

“One.” She confirmed, nodding even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “When I was growing up, it was the two of us against the world, until she started dating my step-father. Even after that, she made sure I knew that she’d always be on my side.” 

“Do you like your step-father?”  
  


“He was a father to me even before they got married. Haven’t seen much of him lately, if I’m being honest.” 

Matt went back to sit next to the young girl. “I can’t imagine it’s been easy.” 

“It was just the two of us at the funeral. We didn’t want to invite anyone else. No one’s visited her grave since she’s been buried.” 

“I understand that. The tombstone makes things feel more real.” Matt sighed. “That’s how it felt when my dad passed.” 

“I miss her.” Andie tucked her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. “She did some messed up things in the end but she tried to keep us safe.” 

“Wade and I can go with you to the graveyard, if you want. I can get Foggy to come, too.” Matt wasn’t sure what to say anymore or how to comfort her. But if he remembered anything from his dad dying, it was the unbearable feeling of loneliness that weighed him down the most. 

“Not for this anniversary. I keep hoping Dad will say something about her, but I see him like, once a week. And that’s fine, because then he’s not paranoid about me going out all the time. I just wish he showed that he _cared.”_ Her voice was starting to crack. 

“From what you’ve told me, he cares. Maybe throwing himself into work was his way of coping. There are worse ways to grieve the death of a spouse, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy.” He hesitantly put an arm around Andie’s shoulders. She leaned to his touch almost instantly. 

“It’s like I lost both of them the night she died,” Andie sniffled, curling and leaning her head on his chest. He awkwardly ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. 

Oh, Andie. 

“We talk but it’s like we’re strangers. It’s not _fair.”_

_I know,_ Matt thought to himself. _I know._

  
  
  


Will looked out at the Hudson River with a sigh. He’d gotten off earlier than usual due to his boss promising to lock up, and he wasn’t ready to go back to the apartment yet. He stared at the calm waters, trying to let the sound of the city behind him distract him from his thoughts. 

Everything reminded him of Veronica these days, right down to the beanie and jogging pants he wore. A voice in the back of his head wondered aloud if she’d want him to feel this way. 

He didn’t feel as empty as he had this time last year, after she’d left but before the collision. For those two weeks, he worried about her safety, and asked himself when she’d come back. If she came back. 

It was so hard to disappear these days, with social media and cameras and tracking devices. But Veronica had always reminded him that anything considered impossible was possible. She made things look easy. 

The note she’d left didn’t have anything about a will. She had one, but there were no odd requests. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Will closed his eyes and tried to imagine the smell of her perfume and the sound of her laugh. He looked at her picture when he could, but she was becoming a stranger with each passing day. 

He saw so much of her in Andie sometimes, it hurt. Andie was her mother’s daughter, and her only biological connection. Veronica’s parents had been doctors who returned to the Philippines after they retired. Both had died before Andie was born. 

A voice pulled him out of his wandering thoughts, and he was back to staring at the Hudson. 

“I hope you don’t mind me sitting here.” Will looked over to see Deadpool himself, sitting casually on the bench as if he didn’t have a dozen weapons strapped all over his body. Will stiffened slightly. “I’m doing recon. Not trying to kill you.” 

“Oh.” Will said lamely, trying not to gawk at the man sitting next to him. 

“I guess you know who I am. What’s your name?” 

“Will Jackson.” 

“Has anyone ever called you ‘Billy’?” Deadpool asked. Will regained his composure, raising an eyebrow at the question. 

“Uh, no.”

“You looked like you were thinking about something deep.” Deadpool said. “I figured you needed someone to talk to.” 

Will looked at Deadpool again, then deflated slightly. “I do,” Will admitted. “Under other circumstances, I don’t know if I’d tell you anything personal. But I heard about what you did for that girl on the roof.” 

“Yeah, Hamilton was great. Leslie Odom Jr.’s voice is smooth as hell.” Deadpool sighed, temporarily distracted. This didn’t last long, because before Will knew it, the mercenary was sitting upside down on the bench. “So what’s on your mind, Will?” 

“My wife’s one-year death anniversary is in a few days.” 

Deadpool sucked in a breath. “I see.” He sat right-side up. It was only the polite thing to do when participating in a serious conversation. 

“I don’t know what to do. My step-daughter and I haven’t really talked about it all. We shut each other out. She’s fourteen, but she’s got the whole world on her shoulders.” 

Deadpool looked at Will carefully as if the mercenary was searching for something that couldn’t be said out loud. After a moment, he dropped his gaze and pulled out his phone. 

“I have a daughter, too.” Deadpool said softly, typing in the passcode and scrolling through his photos app. He tapped the screen a few times before turning it to Will. 

On the screen was a little girl, no older than five or six. She was beaming up at the camera, her curly hair tied back with a scrunchie. She reminded Will of what Andie looked like at that age. His heart ached. 

“What’s her name?”

“Eleanor. Ellie. She’s a pain in my ass, screams like a fucking banshee,” Deadpool said, turning off the phone and tucking it away. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t make sure she knows she’s loved. Her mom’s gone, too. Obviously, she can’t live with me because my life is a constant, ticking time bomb, but I get custody every other weekend.” He shrugged. “It might not be the same, but you’re definitely not the only step-parent with a deceased partner.” 

“Andie - that’s my step-daughter - and I don’t really see each other much anymore. I guess after Veronica died, I buried myself in work. I can’t remember the last time we sat down and had dinner together.” Will leaned back, looking up. “How do you do it?” He looked at the mercenary again. “How do you go forward after losing someone like that?” 

“You talk about it.” Deadpool stated plainly. “You go to therapy. You talk to other people. You find reasons to live that aren’t ‘they wouldn’t want you to be sad’. Fucking hell, do you know how much people say that phrase? Irritating as shit.” 

Will gave him a weak smile at that. Deadpool continued, “In my experience, it got bad before it got okay. I think most people and things are like that. If you can’t keep going for yourself, move forward for Andie. Right now, she probably needs you more than anyone else.”

“How do I start?” 

Deadpool looked Will dead in the eye. Strangely enough, the domino mask didn’t look so scary close up. “You start by letting her know that you’re there.” 

“How?” 

“I don’t have all the answers, bud. It’s gonna be trial and error. It’s parenting. But you’re a good guy, so I’m sure you’ll get shit right in the end.” Deadpool stood up, moving to stand in front of Will. He held out his hand. 

“I hope we can meet again.” Deadpool said. 

“I wouldn’t know how to find you.” 

Deadpool smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been told I’m excellent at finding people.” He gave Will an informal salute. “See ya, Billy.” 

  
  
  


Andie had been quiet for a while after she finished crying. Matt kept his breath steady, letting the girl tire herself out on her own. 

“Better?” Matt asked, breaking the long silence. She nodded, moving her head from his chest and sitting up fully. She sniffled. 

“Yeah,” Andie rasped out, clearing her throat.

“I lost my dad when I was ten.”

“I know. My step-dad talks about your father in his speeches sometimes. He loves using Jack Murdock as a personification for resilience.” Andie smiled weakly at the memory of her step-father sitting in front of a class of seven-year-olds, talking about successful sparring. “He’s a teacher at the martial arts place I trained at.” 

Matt hummed. “I’d like to meet him, one day.” 

“He’d like to meet you, too.” 

Matt and Andie changed back into their suits wordlessly. When she was ready, Matt held out a hand. 

“I’ll take you home,” He said, and she followed him to the roof. 

For someone who couldn’t fly, Daredevil made his way through the city quickly. Andie could barely keep up with him even with the webbing. She never would have thought that a blind man could run and do parkour that fast, but Matt had made it clear that it was possible.

Matt didn’t bring Andie back to Brooklyn that often after training. Wade sometimes brought her back if it was past three in the morning, but most of the time, she went home by herself. Even though both knew she could take care of herself in most fights, they wanted to err on the side of caution for a few more months. 

“It gets better eventually,” Matt said when they were on top of her building. “I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t hurt like hell. Some recover more easily than others.” 

“What about the other people?” 

“We all have our ways of dealing with things, kid.” Matt sighed. “But you have another parent who cares about you. You’re not alone.” He raised his hand, awkwardly patting the edge of her shoulder. “Good luck. Text us if you need someone to take over patrol.” 

“Thanks.” Andie said quietly, disappearing down the fire escape on the side of the building.

It was always unnerving to come home at four in the morning to the silence and darkness of the apartment. Her father’s room was on the other side of the apartment, so it was easier to avoid waking him up. Not that he would wake up, anyways. He slept like a log most nights on account of the fact that he worked so much. 

She changed into her sleepwear and snuck out into the main room, looking at the door of his room for a moment. Tomorrow, they’d talk, she decided as she quietly got a glass of water and returned to her room. Within moments, she passed out under the comforter. 

The next day was Sunday, so Andie had a little more time to sleep than on most days. Her alarm went off at ten, her blinds drawn open. She groaned and rolled out of bed. She was in the middle of grabbing her clothes for a shower when she heard the familiar crackle of bacon in a pan. Andie straightened her back, listening for a moment before continuing with her morning as usual. 

By the time she stepped out into the kitchen, her dad had set the table and was watching the waffle maker. He was in his usual black tank top and basketball shorts, his head bowed slightly. Pop music was playing from somewhere in the room, undoubtedly controlled by the watch on his arm. 

“Hi.” Andie said. This was the first Sunday she’d seen him in a while. Even though the dojo was technically closed on Sundays, the team often trained and did stunt work in the afternoons. 

He turned his head away from the waffle maker. “Good morning.” 

“I thought the team had training today.” 

“I cancelled it this morning.” He turned back to the waffle maker. Andie stepped forward. 

“Why?” 

“Do I need a reason?” He asked, finally plucking the finished waffle out and putting it on the stack. He looked at her briefly before walking over to set the plate of waffles down. 

Andie wasn’t sure what to think. She thought that she would’ve had to corner him instead of being out of control. 

“No,” she admitted. “I just don’t see you a lot, is all.” 

He gestured to the table. “Have a seat.” Andie looked at him warily before following his request. “I wanted to talk to you about something.” 

“Okay.” She didn’t look up at him as she piled food on her plate. When she sat back down, he exhaled softly. 

“The anniversary’s coming up.” 

“Uh-huh.” Andie cut a piece of waffle and stabbed it a little harder than necessary. Her father pretended not to notice. 

“We should visit her.” 

“Okay.” She shoved the piece into her mouth. His shoulders were sinking. This wasn’t the way he wanted the conversation to go, but Andie seemed hell bent on refusing to give him anything other than an affirmative that she’d heard him. 

“Andie, look at me.” Will’s voice didn’t have the same strength it usually did. She looked up at him, lowering her hands and setting the silverware on the table slowly. There was a moment of silence while he struggled to find the right words to say. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been at work so much. I don’t have any excuses. After your mom died, it was the only thing I knew how to do. I was so focused on my own grief that I didn’t realize that in the span of one night, you’d lost both of us.” He let out a shaky breath. “I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep, but I want to talk more.” 

Andie stared at him, tears forming behind her eyes. Before he could ask her to say something, she took the plate and utensils from the table. 

“Thanks for making breakfast.” She mumbled, refusing to look at him as she walked to her room. 

“Andie-” He reached out a hand in the direction she’d gone, but made no move to go after her. Instead, he sighed and lowered his head into his hands. 

  
  
  


Andie spent the next few days feeling more isolated than ever. She’d canceled training and patrol with Wade and Matt for the week. They’d understood, but both had expressed concern for her separately. 

She was still in shock over her dad’s words. Her original plan of confrontation had involved yelling, crying, and more yelling. She got her apology from him, but it didn’t feel right. 

It was partially her fault as well. If she had mentioned this to him at an earlier point, maybe things would have been easier. But their relationship was a two-way street. Both were at fault for this weird limbo. 

He’d done his part to fix it. 

Andie just had to do hers. 

She spent the better part of the afternoon on Tuesday running around Chinatown, looking for plastic candle lights and a decent photo frame. When that had been obtained, she headed to the flower shop on the corner and bought two bouquets of red poppies.

By the time she made it back to the apartment, the sun was close to setting. She had homework but it could be done later. Her dad wouldn’t be back until eleven at least. Andie figured she had time. 

She went downstairs to the basement and found a small table that had been placed down there when Will had moved in. Andie managed to bring it up without much trouble, despite the fact that it was heavier than she’d originally expected. The table was placed in an empty corner in the main area. She dug out an old tablecloth and set a picture of Victoria on the table carefully. The red poppies and a vase were set next to it soon after. 

Andie set down a small, shallow bowl on the other side of the picture, adding a few pieces of _pan de ube_ inside. When she was done with that, she scattered the candle lights all over the table, making a note to herself to turn them on later. 

The other bouquet of poppies was placed in another vase, to be left at the cemetery tomorrow when they visited. Andie stepped back, admiring her handiwork, and grinned. It wasn’t particularly close to All Saints Day, but she figured her mom wouldn’t mind being celebrated earlier. 

The next two hours were spent making _arroz a la cubana,_ which involved keeping track of two saucepans and making sure the food in both didn’t burn. She’d jumped a little when she first poured the onions in and the oil spattered. Andie danced around the kitchen for a few minutes, temporarily forgetting what had put her in the situation in the first place.

After dinner, she started on homework, waiting for the lock on the front door to click open. Andie never knew when her step-dad was coming home anymore, but she stayed up later than he did at this point. 

Will finally arrived home close to midnight. His heavy footsteps could be heard from a mile away. Andie’s head rose from her homework, and she nearly tripped over her own feet on her way to greet him. 

“How was your day?” She asked, practically bouncing on her heels. 

“Why are you still awake? It’s almost midnight. You should be in bed, at least. ” He responded, shrugging off his coat and slipping his feet out of his sneakers. 

“I have a surprise for you.” Andie said innocently. He raised an eyebrow. “Close your eyes.” 

“Lead the way.” Will said with closed eyes, letting her grab his hand and pull him through the apartment.

“Open.” Andie ordered as they came to a stop. He obliged, blinking his eyes open. He looked at the altar, the edges of his eyes softening as he took everything in. It seemed to glow warmly against the wall.

“Mom told me that in the Philippines, they celebrate the Day of the Dead, too. They have altars in their houses and have picnics on the graves and party all day. The spirits come to Earth for the day to visit the land of the living. It’s a little early for it, but I thought she deserved her own altar,” Andie explained. 

“You did this?” He asked incredulously, stepping forward. Will looked at Andie, who nodded. She was suddenly shy again. 

  
“I was going to ask you if we were visiting her.” Andie bit her lip. “I’m sorry I walked out the other day. What do you think of the altar?” 

“It’s… It’s wonderful.” He swallowed the growing lump in his throat and mustered the words he wanted to say. “She would’ve loved this.” 

“I think so, too.” Andie said, leaning into his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“You should go to bed. We’ll visit her in the morning.” Will said, bending down slightly to kiss Andie on the top of her head. “Thank you.” He whispered before hugging her one last time and letting her retreat to her room. 

  
  
  


Will woke Andie up around ten the following morning, saying that they’d both take a day off for the visit. Andie couldn’t really argue when it came to missing school, grateful for the ten hours of sleep that she’d gotten. Fifteen minutes later, they stepped out into the October morning air. Andie was in charge of carrying the bouquet. Will promised to take her for burgers after the visit at the diner where he and Veronica had had their first date.

Will let Andie go first, waiting a few yards away on a bench. Andie kneeled in front of her mom’s gravestone for the first time in a year, setting down the red poppies on top. 

“Hi, Mom.” Andie said softly. “I’m sorry neither of us visited sooner. It’s hard to believe you’re gone.” She inhaled shakily. “Dad and I didn’t really start talking until a few days ago. Both of us didn’t know where to go after everything. I miss you, a lot, but I don’t know if…” 

Andie sighed. “I wish you had told us everything before you left. I got bit by that spider you’d been experimenting on, and well, I guess I’m a hero now.” She chuckled weakly, forcing a smile on her face. “I’m sure you’ve seen me around. I made some new friends. They’re taking care of me. I think… I think you would have liked to meet them. They’re weird.” 

Eventually, Andie left her dad on his own at the grave, not wanting to catch what he was saying. It felt too private, and she didn’t know if he wanted her to see him that vulnerable. 

When Will said his goodbyes, he caught up with Andie, who was halfway across the way at that point. Neither of them said a word as they walked to the diner. After they were seated, Andie flashed him a smirk. 

“So, what was your first impression of Mom?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus: Wade waved happily at Andie as she landed on their meeting roof for the first time in a week. "Hey, kid, I think I met your dad the other day." 
> 
> "WHY?!"


End file.
